


Oblivious

by thelastjedi



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 19:45:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15493311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelastjedi/pseuds/thelastjedi
Summary: Peter may be one of the smartest people you know, but he can also be extremely oblivious to what’s right in front of him.





	Oblivious

_I can do this. I can do this._

That was the thought you kept repeating to yourself as you made your way from your English Literature class to the cafeteria for lunch. A group of your classmates walked behind you, babbling on about the homework your class had just been given but you were barely listening. Instead, your mind was elsewhere as you remembered the conversation you’d had with your friend Ned this morning.

He had met you by your locker at 8AM, asking you the same question he had asked you repeatedly on the phone last night:—  _“Are you gonna ask him out?”._

He was, of course, referring to your growing feelings towards Peter Parker; a mutual friend of yours who you had been pining after for a little over a year now. Your response, as usual, had been “ _hell no”_ and you’d thought that was that. But Ned Leeds wasn’t one to give up.

Instead, he’d cornered you and gave you one of his sweet - albeit long - pep talks about how great you were and how he would bet his rare X-Men comics that Peter would love to go out with you. You’d mostly agreed just to get him to stop talking and he’d walked off with a satisfied grin after promising to be a few minutes late to lunch in order to give you enough time with Peter.

You had convinced yourself all day that you were ready, but now that you were about to actually do what you’d promised Ned, your heart began to beat faster and your stomach felt hollow. You didn’t even realise you’d entered the cafeteria until your eyes met Peter’s and he gave you a smile in greeting.

Attempting to swallow the lump in your throat, you made your way over to Peter and took the seat across from him.

“Hey,” Peter smiled as he took a bite of his apple.

“Hey,” you repeated, using the action of pulling your lunch from your backpack as an excuse to avoid his gaze.

“Ned said he had to speak to Ms. Martin about something so he might be a little late,” said Peter.

You nodded absentmindedly, fiddling with the packaging of your sandwich but feeling too nervous to actually eat it. Peter watched your movements closely and raised an eyebrow.

“Are you okay?” he asked, bemused.

“What? Yeah,” you told him, taking a deep breath to prepare yourself and finally looking him in the eye. You could tell that he didn’t believe you.

_Just ask him. What’s the worst that could happen? y_ ou asked yourself.  _Well, he could hear me… and then reject me. And then things would forever feel awkward between us and I could never look him in the eye again… Oh, screw it._

“So, are you free later tonight?” you asked before your courage could leave you.

You watched as Peter swallowed his bite of food and nodded as if you had asked him about something as simple as the weather. “I think so,” he said.

“Do you wanna come over? My parents will be at work until 10 o’clock so we’ll have the house to ourselves.”

“Sure,” Peter shrugged casually.

“Oh!” you said in surprise, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. “Great! I’ll grab some snacks for us after school.”

“Cool,” Peter smiled. “Maybe Ned can bring over that Death Star of his and we can finally build it like he’s been wanting to.”

Your face fell. “Huh?”

“The Lego Death Star he got a while ago? He’s been hounding me for weeks about it,” Peter explained.

_Oh my God, he doesn’t realise it was supposed to be a date,_ you realised.  _Or maybe he does and inviting Ned is his way of rejecting me._

“Uh -”

Before you could think of a reply, Ned appeared with a hopeful smile on his face and took his seat next to Peter. You couldn’t tell if you were relieved or annoyed.

“Hey,” Ned said, glancing between yourself and Peter. “Did I miss anything? Any revelations or… confessions of love, maybe?”

_“_ What?” Peter chuckled and shifted awkwardly in his seat. “We were just making plans to hang out later, that’s all.”

Ned discreetly shot you a thumbs up as he replied, “Sounds fun.”

“Yeah, we were planning on making your Death Star and then, what?” Peter turned to you for your opinion, “Watch some movies, I guess?”

“Sounds good,” you smiled weakly.

“Uhhh,” Ned frowned, “why would my Death Star be there?”

“Because you’re gonna bring it, Ned,” Peter said. “C’mon, man, keep up.”

You quickly interrupted when Ned opened his mouth to argue, all of your previous courage quickly dissipating as you said half-heartedly, “Yeah, Ned, it’ll be fun.”

“Sure, fine,” Ned finally agreed, though he seemed disappointed at how his plan to get his two best friends together had turned out.

* * *

It was 5:47PM and you had just finished unpacking the various snacks you had gone out to buy for Peter and Ned when they came over. You were still upset about the unfortunate misunderstanding between yourself and Peter but you tried your best to shake off the bad feeling. After all, you were still technically going to hang out with Peter - it’s just that Ned would be there too. And everybody loves Ned.

Wandering into your living room, you placed the packets of Cheetos and M&M’s on the table and were about to go back to the kitchen to grab some drinks when there was a knock on your door. Abandoning your previous task, you quickly made your way to the door and pulled it open, revealing a smiling Peter and a resigned Ned who held his Death Star toy in his hands.

“Hey,” you smiled and took a step back, allowing the boys to enter your home.

“Hey,” Peter said, instantly making himself comfortable on your couch as you closed the door behind them.

“I was just about to grab some drinks,” you told them while Ned carefully set the Death Star on the ground at Peter’s feet.

“Oh, cool,” he began, “Peter can help you.”

Although seeming surprised that he was pulled into the conversation, Peter immediately began to stand from his seat to follow Ned’s instructions, before you quickly declined.

“Don’t worry! I got it.”

As you retreated back to the kitchen and Peter took his seat back, Ned sighed in defeat and began to unpack the Lego.

* * *

“Hey, can you pass me that piece?”

Ned grunted and handed Peter the small grey Lego. You  _had_ been helping the two of them, of course, but quickly climbed on the sofa when you became distracted by the movie playing on TV which your eyes were still currently glued to. 

“No, not that one,” Peter shook his head. “The black one.”

Ned huffed and muttered something under his breath but passed the correct piece nonetheless.

“Okay dude, what the hell?”

“What?” Ned blinked.

“Why are you being so cranky?” Peter complained. You frowned, your attention finally being pulled away from the screen at his sharp tone.

“Because I shouldn’t even be here!” Ned finally exclaimed.

_Oh, no._

Ned glanced at you briefly as you desperately attempted to make him shut up by making a cutting motion along your throat. Peter followed his gaze and you quickly dropped your hand to feign innocence.

“What are you talking about?” 

“N-nothing.”

“ _Ned,_ ” both you and Peter said but for very different reasons.

The boy looked around your apartment desperately for some kind of escape. “I, uh… I have to go to the bathroom!” In a flash, Ned had run out of the living room, almost knocking over the Death Star in the process, and all but barricaded himself in said bathroom. 

You groaned quietly to yourself while Peter sat quietly in confusion, his thoughts racing. The chattering on the television and Ned quietly scolding himself from the other room was all you could hear until your companion broke the silence.

“What did he mean when he said he shouldn’t be here?” asked Peter from his spot on the floor.

“Who knows?” you attempted to shrug casually, suddenly very interested in a loose thread on your jeans. “You know what Ned’s like. He’s an oddball but you gotta love him.”

“You’re a terrible liar,” he said with a huff of laughter. “Come on. Talk to me.”

“It’s nothing,” you said simply.

_Just do it. Tell him._

_“_ It’s just…” you hesitated, taking a deep breath before blurting it out. “When I invited you here, that’s exactly what I was doing — inviting  _you_.”

“Oh,” said Peter, slightly concerned. “But… why? Have you and Ned had a fight?”

“No, Peter.” Frustrated, you stood from your seat and rubbed your hands over your face. Peter followed suit and stood up, his eyebrows furrowing as he took you in. You cursed under your breath and wished he didn’t look so cute when he was confused. 

“I don’t understand.”

_Is he really going to make me spell it out for him?_  

“Yes, you do,” you spoke quietly. “You’re smart, Pete. I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“Noticed… Noticed what?” 

“As subtle as I thought I was, Ned figured it out pretty quickly.” A nervous laugh escaped your lips. “According to him, I tend to  _‘stare longingly’_  at you too often.”

Peter swallowed nervously, his throat suddenly feeling very dry. “I didn’t…”

“Didn’t realise?” You offered softly, awkwardly avoiding his eyes.

“Didn’t want to hope,” he finished after a small pause.

Now you were the one to look confused. “What?”

“I thought… I thought maybe I was reading into things too much,” Peter reached up to scratch the back of his neck. “Maybe I wasn’t reading into it enough.”

“I don’t want this to make things awkward for us,” you admitted. “I’m sure I’ll get over it. I just… need time, I guess?”

"Or…” Peter started.

“Or?” Your gaze snapped back to him and while your mind raced for a response, you couldn’t think of anything. 

“You could try asking me out again?” A small smile began to spread across Peter’s lips as he continued, “I promise I won’t invite anyone else along next time.”


End file.
